Generally speaking, a mattress topper is a removable separate solid pad or inflatable mat that is designed to rest atop a conventional mattress and/or mattress-box spring combination and is sized to be commensurate therewith. One purpose of a topper is to cushion the feel of a mattress that is too firm and hide imperfections in an otherwise useful mattress. In one typical arrangement, the topper is a pad constructed of open-cell foam rubber and may be optionally encased in a cotton, wool, or a PVC plastic (or other waterproof) covering. In other arrangements, the topper might be inflatable and might or might not contain a foam core.
Whatever its construction, the mattress topper has a wide variety of applications. In a medical setting, specialized foam pads are placed between the patient and the hospital bed to increase the comfort of the bedfast patient and reduce the risk that pressure sores will develop. In a residential setting, a topper is similarly used to increase the comfort of the sleeper and might be used to hide imperfections in the underlying mattress or provide increased warmth to the sleeper. All of this is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
However, it is the commercial mattress rental/resale industry that is the focus of the instant disclosure. Until relatively recently, state law in a number of states forbade the sale or lease of used bedding, as it was felt to pose a significant health risk to the consuming public. However, with the advent of modern methods of cleaning and disinfecting the Departments of Health in the various states have allowed such commercial activity, provided that the consumer is notified and the bedding is cleaned per regulation. In that context, it should be noted that one important function of a mattress topper is to act as a protective barrier and to reduce the amount of soiling that a mattress would otherwise experience. Obviously, if a topper is ruined by fouling or contamination, that may be a lesser financial impact than if the mattress had been similarly ruined, since the topper may be relatively inexpensive in comparison with the cost of a the mattress. Further, and in those cases where the soiling can be removed by cleaning, it is usually easer and less expensive to clean a topper than to clean the mattress which it protects or to replace the mattress. As a consequence, those in the industry recognize the importance of encouraging the use of toppers in conjunction with the leasing of bedding.
Needless to say, one of the most common forms of mattress/topper soiling is via spilled or excreted liquids. A non-waterproof foam topper (e.g., a foam topper encased in permeable materials) will absorb a limited amount of such liquid but will then pass the remainder on through to the bedding underneath. A waterproof topper will, of course, completely protect the underlying mattress, but can be uncomfortable to lie upon as it does not “breathe.”
Heretofore, as is well known in the bedding arts, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems and, more particularly, there has been need for a mattress topper that completely protects the underlying bedding against the introduction of liquids, but which is comfortable to lie upon. Additionally, the topper should be reversible so that in the event that the upper surface of the topper is soiled, it can at least temporarily be inverted and a clean side presented to the user. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a system for a mattress topper that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.